30 Trade Show Exhibit Conspiracies

30 Things That Conspire to Destroy Your Beautiful Trade Show Exhibit

You’ve planned for months. It may even be your biggest company event of the year. You have worked with your trusted vendor partners, as well as your internal staff, to ensure that your company exhibit has been designed and built to perfectly fit your company’s needs and objectives.

But what you didn’t know is that the world conspires to destroy the beautiful thing you built, the minute it leaves your dock.

Here are 30 Things on the Show Floor that can derail that smooth and hassle-free experience you’re seeking during the move-in and move-out of your company’s next big trade show:

Your inbound freight arrives late to show.

Dealing with lost or misplaced crates/ cases.

There is no electrical laid in the booth.

Electrical was not ordered for the booth.

Too little electrical was ordered for the booth.

No carpet order on file at desk.

No carpet order was submitted to the General Contractor by you or your display house.

Your shipment arrives to your booth space, and there is damage.

You’ve shipped your 42” HDTV monitors cross country in their original cardboard boxes.

There are critical parts are missing from your exhibit structure.

The wrong graphics were sent to the show; the proper graphics will arrive tomorrow.

The last exhibit repack was unbelievably sloppy (or got incredibly bounced around during shipping to the show).

Your exhibit system structure is a brand new booth, shipping directly from the manufacturer.

No instructions or CADs are in the cases with the display.

Incorrect booth orientation was provided to the I&D team.

There was no booth orientation provided to the I&D company.

There is a hostile GC / labor force.

There are trust and communication issues between exhibitor personnel and their trade show coordinator (or display house sales rep, or their boss, etc.).

No outbound freight carrier information of any kind has been provided to your I&D team.

The extra “additional shipment” you put together at end of show (literature, unused giveaways, etc.) has not been communicated to your exhibit house or I&D contact.

Tired of waiting for your empty cases to return, you decide to: a) walk back on the docks and look for your crates, and b) bribe the closest forklift driver to “get them” for you.

The General Contractor forces your freight. Ouch!!!!!

Written by Chris Griffin. Chris is a 25 year trade show executive who specialized in exhibition logistics and U.S. labor relations. He is the President of Trade Show Supply and TS CREW, a company that provides installation & dismantle labor service, and exhibit rental solutions in over 20 U.S. cities.

For more information about trade show or event marketing, give us a call or Contact Us. We welcome the opportunity to assist you with your next show.

Freight Carrier: LTL carriers (Less than Truckload) quote freight based
on space used. UPS, FedEx, and air freight carriers quote freight based on either the
dimensional or the actual weight of the shipment.

Freight Service Level (number of days): Service levels range from Same
Day Delivery to Two Week Delivery.

For more information about exhibit weights and freight options, please contact your local
exhibit representative.

Electrical, Cord, and Wire Management varies depending on the display and each exhibitor's requirements. When ordering your trade show display, consider the following electrical/wire management issues and discuss your options with an exhibit professional:

Inline vs. Island Displays

Lead Retrieval Devices

Computer and Monitor Cables

Demo Equipment

Overhead Lighting

Grommets and Grommet Placement in Counters

Overhead vs. Floor Power Supply

Flooring and Electrical Wiring

Options for Hiding Cords and Cables

Flat vs. Round Electrical Cords

Multi-Plug Outlets and Extension Cords

By reviewing your wiring options BEFORE you order your display, you'll save TIME and MONEY and ensure your exhibit exceeds your expectations and your installation is trouble-free.